Masters Drabbles
by Ryuuko1
Summary: Set of 30 drabbles set in the Daniel Masters universe. PLEASE read that story before reading these, or else they won't make sense.


*********WARNING: THESE WILL NOT MAKE SENSE UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE STORY THAT THESE ARE SET IN. PLEASE READ Daniel Masters FIRST OR RISK BEING HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY CONFUSED.************

**Author:** Daniel's not cooperating with me, so you get these instead. They were little things that were nonetheless very fun to write. ^_^

**Disclaimer:** DP will never belong to me in the same way that the Packers will never belong to Vlad.

30 Smirks Prompt Set in Daniel Masters Universe

**1. Laughter**

Daniel was laughing hysterically as his foster-father regarded him with a _very_ displeased countenance.

"Daniel..." Vlad said, a warning in his voice.

Daniel looked at his foster-father and gave him a smirk. "Yes, frootloop?"

"You're grounded."

"Try it."

Vlad delicately raised an eyebrow. "Don't tempt me."

"Wuss."

"Do you have a death wish?"

Daniel merely grinned.

**2. You can't do this! ; Do what?**

"You can't do this!"

"Do what?" Daniel replied casually. Power gathered around his hands as he regarded the fallen entity before him with a smirk.

"Kill me!"

Daniel reached inside the metallic shell and pulled the small possessing ghost out. "My dear ghost," Daniel began, his smirk turning into a malignant grin, "I have the Ring and control the entire Observant High Council. I can do whatever I damn well want."

With only a flicker of power, Daniel sent pieces of the ghost flying all over Skulker's jungle abode. All that remained in Daniel's hand was a small, bright core of energy. Daniel smirked and overloaded the core, laughing breathlessly at the release of the sheer _energy_ from the miniature nova he created.

**3. A Penny for your thoughts**

"Penny for your thoughts," Daniel said, startling Danny out of his reverie.

"Gah, don't scare me like that!" Danny huffed, causing Daniel to smirk.

"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings. Maybe I'll pop in on you every now and then until you get the hang of being subtly paranoid."

"Uh, no thanks," Danny said, looking nervous. "You'd probably pick some weird time like during dinner..."

"Why so little faith in me?" Daniel asked innocently, causing Danny to roll his eyes.

Daniel chuckled softly and sat down across from Danny at the Fenton's kitchen table. "Now, you have that language exam two days from now, right? I'll grill you on vocab."

Danny groaned.

**4. "I hate you!" "I love you too"**

"I _hate_ you," Danny growled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I love you, too," Daniel drawled, a smirk passing over his lips. "Now, get up. We're not done training yet."

**5. Facade**

In the beginning, Daniel Masters was an elaborate facade. The sly smirks and silken words, the sweet, soft seduction...all ploys to throw people off. Eventually, though, Danny Fenton became Daniel Masters, and he was never entirely sure when he became the mask.

**6. Curiosity killed the Cat**

"Daniel, you _do_ know that saying about curiosity and cats, right?"

Daniel flinched as Vlad pulled a shard of _something_ out of Daniel's right shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, voice utterly exhausted.

A smirk briefly flitted across his face and Daniel looked over his left shoulder to Vlad: "But you should see the other guy."

**7. I'm in love with you ; Sorry but I don't love you**

The girl fidgeted and looked up at Daniel through faux-lashes, a blush lightly coloring her cheeks.

Daniel delicately raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Iloveyou," the girl blurted nervously.

Daniel's trademark smirk formed on his face as his eyes half-closed, and he brushed a hand lightly against her cheek.

"I'm honored," he purred in the soft, slightly husky voice that made the majority of the girls at his school melt, "to be desired by _you_, Kathleen."

The girl's eyes darkened and her breathing sped up slightly. Daniel's fingers lightly traced the curves of her neck and face, causing her to lean in towards him.

"But..." he began.

"But?"

"I don't love you. I'm sorry. Whomever is lucky enough to secure your affections and return them will be the envy of many."

Delicately, Daniel picked up the girl's hand and turned it over in his own before pressing his lips against the fluttering pulse-point.

"Thank you, and take care." Daniel released her hand gently and walked away. A dark, soft chuckle passed his lips once he was out of hearing range.

_I need a challenge...that was _much_ too easy..._

**8. Spectacles**

"I didn't know you worse glasses, frootloop," Daniel said with a frown. "I thought the ghost genetics fixed that kind of stuff."

Vlad looked up from his book and took off the aforementioned glasses. A small smirk passed over his face as he tapped them lightly against the pages.

"Any pre-existing condition remains even after the change. I don't usually wear my glasses because my eyesight is good enough that it's not a necessity. I'm far-sighted, so reading all these documents can be a pain when I don't wear my glasses."

"Huh," Daniel said and scratched the back of his head. "You look good in them."

**9. Catch you, Catch me**

"Will you catch me when I fall?" Daniel asked hesitantly.

Sarah gave him a slightly exasperated smirk. "Only if you catch me."

**10. Watch out!**

Daniel sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "I _told_ you to watch out."

Dazed, Danny attempted a smirk before collapsing, Daniel catching him before the younger half-ghost met the ground.

**11. Scar**

"Oh, stop being a wuss. It won't even scar," Daniel told Danny with a small smirk.

"Says you," Danny muttered with a wince as Daniel pulled thorns out of Danny's ghostly body.

"Indeed," Daniel replied, a laugh in his voice. "Trust me, you can suffer _much_ worse and not have a mark."

"Oh?"

"You want a story? Fine. There was this one time..."

**12. Chemical Reactions**

Daniel knew what human emotions were—simply different kinds of chemical reactions. Dopamine, adrenaline, all kinds of hormones that affected both judgement and mood. Once you knew the chemistry of the human body, it was easy to twine people around your fingers.

_Funny that I'm so bad at the actual subject,_ Daniel thought with a wry smirk.

**13. Like hell I care**

"Like hell I care!" Daniel snarled.

Vlad crossed his arms and suppressed a sigh. "Daniel, it's for your own good."

"No! It's probably some ploy of yours!"

A smirk briefly flitted across Vlad's face, and the man's expression changed to one of haughty amusement.

Unease slowly worked its way up the younger half-ghost's spine. "Vlad...?"

**14. French**

"What? Why do I have to learn _French_?"

"Because a number of my business partners are located in Paris, and I will _not_ have you wandering around like a clueless tourist. You're going to impress them."

"Do _you_ know French?"

Vlad looked insulted. "Of course."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Right."

Raising an eyebrow, Vlad smirked, which made Daniel twitch.

**15. Frozen in time**

Daniel looked at the picture on his desk and a wry smirk formed on his face.

_You will always be frozen in time, unchanging and unaging except in memory,_ he thought, fingers brushing lightly against the glass. _And here I remain, continuing my existence._

"Daniel!" Vlad sounded _pissed._

Looking about quickly for an escape route, Daniel went ghost and flung himself away from the computer.

_Well, continuing my existence _for now.

**16. Are you Sure? ; Why do you care?**

"You sure it's okay to do this?"

"Why do you care?"

"Well, I mean, this is sorta dangerous."

"Danny, you're in good hands with me."

"Right," Danny drawled, obviously disbelieving.

"I'm wounded!"

Danny snorted. "Uh-huh."

Daniel merely smirked.

**17. Hell**

Daniel knew what hell was.

He also knew that _Vlad_ did as well.

They both had lived through different versions of it, but the result was the same—a reluctance for human emotional bonds, desire to be beyond hurt by wrapping themselves in power, and a soul-deep, crushing despair hidden behind velveteen words and haughty smirks.

**18. Naked**

"I can't _believe_ you tossed me into the shower with my clothes on!" Daniel snapped, phasing out of his drenched pajamas before grabbing a towel and wrapping it securely around his waist.

He leveled a potent glare at his foster-father. "You could have at least had the courtesy to strip me or something."

"You weren't waking up," Vlad said, the smallest of smirks on his face. "And we have a plane to catch."

"Where are we going this time?" Daniel growled and walked over to the medicine cabinet, taking out his toothbrush and toothpaste while waiting for Vlad's reply.

"Berlin," came the answer, making Daniel scowl as he brushed his teeth. He spat out the excess and washed his mouth out before wiping away some toothpaste foam that had gotten on his lips with the back of his hand.

"_Must_ you take me to a place where I've yet to gain full command of the language?"

"Think of it as a learning experience," Vlad replied dryly.

"'Learning experience' my ass," Daniel growled and pushed past Vlad.

"We leave for the plane in an hour. You don't want me to come looking for you."

Daniel stalked off, growling uncomplimentary things about his foster-father.

**19. It's not funny**

Daniel was laughing hysterically, receiving a glower from Danny. "It's not funny!"

Finally getting his laughter under control, Daniel gave Danny a wicked grin. "It's not _funny_, it's _hilarious_."

Danny growled dangerously.

"I can undo the damage, but you'll have to trust me," Daniel said as he walked over to the younger, before placing his hands on Danny's shoulders.

"You're going to do that synching thing again, aren't you?"

Daniel nodded, all seriousness.

Danny shifted uneasily before nodding. "Okay."

Daniel slipped into an easy synch with his younger self, and two heartbeats later, Danny was returned to his usual ghostly self. Examining himself, Danny sighed in relief.

"That's always so _weird_..."

Daniel smirked faintly. "Imagine what it was like to figure out how to do that..."

Danny shuddered. "How'd you do it?"

"You don't want to know," Daniel replied in a flat, dead voice.

**20. Bottom and Top**

"And then there are top and bottom quarks...are you even listening to me?"

Danny jumped as Daniel thwacked him on the back of the head. "I'm listening, I'm listening!"

"Then tell me what I just said."

There was a long, slightly embarrassed silence.

Daniel smirked and shook his head slowly. "Just for that, I'm going to stop here, give you your homework, and not help you."

"WHAT?! No, _Daniel_..."

The smirk only grew wider.

**21. Think you are up to it?**

"Think you're up to it?" Daniel asked, head leaning on the back of his hand, a condescending smirk on his face.

Danny scowled at him, causing the smirk to grow wider.

"Of course I'm up to it!" Danny snapped.

"If you say so," Daniel replied in a sing-song voice, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

**22. Future**

Daniel looked at his sleeping younger self and gently rested a hand on the teen's forehead, quelling the uncertain, frantic movements from being caught in a nightmare.

_It tears him apart,_ Daniel thought with a frown, stroking Danny's hair lightly. _What did he see in that future? What did he experience that haunts his sleep so often?_

A small, sad smirk found its way onto Daniel's face. _I wonder what he'd think of my nightmares. I'm glad I don't sleep deeply. I never really dream anymore, which is a blessing. _

He blinked when he felt a tug at his pajama bottoms and smiled faintly, a soft sigh escaping his lips. _He better not tear the fabric_, he thought as he watched Danny's hands clench in the loose fabric, the younger half-ghost curling closer in search of comfort.

**23. Blue Moon**

Daniel _did_ have a sincere, genuine smile. It just appears once in a blue moon.

**24. Bachelor**

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to date someone," Daniel said casually, tapping his pencil lightly against the page in the sudoku book.

Vlad looked up from the crossword puzzle he was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Couldn't the same be said of you?"

Daniel shrugged delicately, a smirk on his face. "It's much easier being a bachelor—fewer targets and a greater chance to weave an individual seduction without people getting all huffy about fidelity."

Vlad sighed softly and shook his head. "You know that you're playing with fire."

Daniel grinned. "Hey, I like to think of myself as a non-physical Casanova—even once I leave someone, they're still hopelessly in love with me, not bitter in the least because they never did _expect_ me to be faithful." Daniel paused and cocked his head to the side. "But the same can't be said of you. You're not a seducer. Why don't _you_ have anyone?"

Vlad gave Daniel a look that the younger half-ghost couldn't interpret and remained silent, going back to his crossword. The silence stretched on for a long moment before Daniel sighed in defeat and returned his attention to his sudoku game.

**25. If I die what will be left of you?**

Daniel was _terrified_ of dying, when in his right mind. But, there was something that he feared more than even his own demise--

Vlad's.

_If he dies, what will there be left of me?_ Daniel wondered one day as he sat by the fireplace in the mansion, watching the half-hearted blizzard outside. He smirked faintly before sighing heavily. _Nothing, that's what. I don't think I can survive the death of a semi-family member. Not and remain sane. Without him, there's no-one to take care of me, either..._

Daniel's heart twisted in his chest and he forced his thoughts away from vague fears and returned to reading his book.

**26. Under your Skin**

People always said Daniel was brilliant at getting under your skin, at finding the buttons to push that would make you melt into his arms, discard all your previous knowledge about just how much of a player he is, how his sincerity is an illusion, and how he is most likely manipulating you to further his own ends.

But, it never seemed to matter because, for the time that Daniel held someone under his sway, it was as if all others fell by the wayside. He would treat _you_ and you _alone_ to burning, brief glances, gentle, hesitant caresses, soft, whispered words that played with all the fantasies you never knew you had.

And even though you _knew_ you were falling, you'd find that smirk of his the most seductive expression, for it said that while he might not genuinely care for you, he'd do his damndest to make sure you never regretted surrendering to him.

**27. I hate to love...**

Daniel hated love.

He really, truly did.

It was a useless emotion that made one weak and dependent on another. He couldn't afford to love.

_But the imitation of love is endlessly useful,_ he thought as he covertly watched his latest victim out of the corner of his eye, a smirk playing across his face.

**28. Are you serious?**

"Dude, are you _serious_?"

"Do I _look_ like I'm joking?"

Danny shifted uneasily. "No, but..."

Daniel smirked and crossed his arms, "Unless you're chicken? You just don't want to get hurt, do you?"

"That's not it!" Danny cried huffily.

"Oh, it _totally_ is, isn't it?" Daniel drawled, the smirk never leaving his face. "Is the great Danny Phantom afraid of a little pain? Or is it that you know that you'll only embarrass yourself when fighting me? You just don't want to be defeated by _me_."

"Daniel, _stop it!_ I just don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt _me_? You won't be able to even land a _finger_ on me."

"What! I _totally_ can!"

"Uh-huh," Daniel said dryly, a clone of his tapping Danny on the shoulder, causing the younger half-ghost to whirl around in surprise. "I could have taken you out _right now_ and you never would have known. You won't be able to fight me and do well at all."

Danny scowled and Daniel could see he was getting to the younger half-ghost...which was the _point._

"I swear, Danny, sometimes I think _Samantha_ has more balls than you and she's a _girl_."

_That_ particular taunt was enough to launch Danny at him, making Daniel grin in victory.

**29. Starry night**

"Hey, you free Sunday evening?"

"Unless a ghost shows up, yeah. Why?"

"I found an observatory a little ways away that has free public observing nights. Do you want to go with me?"

Danny's eye widened. "Really?"

Daniel gave his younger counterpart a smirk. "Yes, really."

"Definitely! Can Sam and Tuck come as well?"

Daniel hesitated before nodding. "Sure. It'll be fun."

Danny grinned widely. "How big is the telescope? What kind is it? What..."

Daniel laughed and smiled as Danny peppered him with specifics.

**30. Wipe that off your face**

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Daniel growled, pushing himself up out of the small crater created from his abrupt landing. He floated up to his foster-father, eyeing the man warily. "Where'd you get that power anyway?"

"Now, now, where would the fun be if I told you?"

A malignant smirk formed on Daniel's face. "No fun at all. Ready for round two, frootloop?"

"You know you'll never beat me, little badger."

"Maybe. But I'm willing to continue trying."

Vlad laughed.

Bonus

**31. Cold shoulder**

Daniel knew that one way to pull a person into paying attention to you was to suddenly give them condescending smirks and the cold shoulder. Afterall, why on _earth_ would someone do that after treating you so amicably in the past...?

It was often the first step in his seduction, and people never stopped falling for it.

**32. Blue**

"You know, blue looks good on you," the seamstress told Daniel.

Daniel looked at the woman, giving her an attempt at a smile that came out more as an uneasy smirk. "You think so?" he asked.

The woman nodded. "Definitely. Your father was right to pick out this suit for you."

"Without any input from me," Daniel grumbled.

**33. Invisible pain**

Daniel found himself constantly suffering a nagging, invisible, irritating pain that seeped through his body, never leaving him alone. It ate away at his soul, chipped away at his energy, left him tired and spent. It had started with the death of his family, it never went away, even though he hid it behind biting words and condescending smirks.

He knew that one day the masks would shatter and whatever was bleeding him dry would be exposed. He also knew that whatever was revealed would, more likely than not, horrify him.

**34. You will never understand**

"You will _never_ understand how I feel!" Daniel snarled and grabbed Vlad's suit jacket. He found himself thrown back into the wall by a blast of purple energy and the two half-ghosts's eyes met, each glaring at the other.

Vlad gave him a smirk. "Who would want to?"

Daniel snarled. "GET OUT!" he cried, clinging to the wall for physical support, his mental ones slipping through his fingers.

**35. You are the only one...**

"You know, you're the only one who could get away with something like that."

Daniel didn't even bother looking away from the homework he was working on, a smirk working its way onto his face. "I know," he said with satisfaction lacing his voice.

"How'd you manage it?"

"That," Daniel said, finally looking up from the paper, his eyes sparkling in malignant amusement, "is a secret."

--

**Author:** Thank you for reading!


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